SINGAPORE - wonders of nature in the "Gardens by the Bay"

The hottest new attraction in Singapore is "Gardens by the Bay". This mega project featuring 50-meter high solar-powered "super trees" and climate-controlled biomes.  

The Garden's two glass biomes, "Cloud Forest" and "Flower Dome" were designed to replicate the cool-moist climate of the tropical montane region, the Mediterranean and semi-arid sub-tropical regions.

Entry to Gardens is free, with the exception of the cooled conservatories and aerial walkway. We paid S$28 per person to enter the 2 cooled conservatories.

It was a very hot day. We had to walk for quite a distance to reach the two glass biomes.

These 18 man-made mechanical super trees act as vertical gardens, generating solar power, acting as air venting ducts for nearby conservatories, and collecting rainwater. They are fitted with solar photovoltaic systems that convert sunlight into energy, which provides lighting and aids water technology within the conservatories.

The air was different once we entered the Flower Dome - It was cool and nice just like an air-conditioned building. This 1.2 hectares Flower Dome features permanent displays of plants found in the Mediterranean and semi-arid tropical regions.  

The Cloud Forest covers an area of 0.8 hectares. Stepping inside this "forest" we could  feel  the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions. It features a "Mountain", accessible by an elevator, and visitors are able to descend the mountain via a circular "Canopy walkway" where a 35-metre waterfall provides visitors with refreshing cool air.

The "Water fall" is right at the entrance.

Unlike our Borneo Canopy Walk, It's no sweat, no jungle trekking and no mosquitoes but a pleasant walk in the cool environment with temperate just like Mt. Kinabalu Park in the early morning.

Orchids are almost at all corners of the dome.  

It was truly a wonderful experience to see the man-made conservatories with many different types of plants and flowers. 

The superb view of the Marina Bay Sands Resort from the Garden of the bay.

It's amazing what the Singapore Authorities can do in transforming Singapore into a "city in a garden." and thereby boosting their tourism industry.



SINGAPORE - Another great day!

As we were walking in Clarke Quay, a crowd under the tree near Read bridge caught my eyes. A closer look revealed that they were queuing up for ice-cream. That reminded me of a popular ice cream shop located across the river which I patronized 6 years ago.

Walking across the Read bridge to the ice-cream shop. This old bridge was built in 1889.

The old shop houses after the bridge.

The Haagen-Dazs shop is still there -  It's time to enjoy their luxurious ice creams and tempting cold strawberry shake.

A delightful refreshment !

It was time for the Singapore river cruise - my first. The cruise is similar to ours, back home in Borneo but it was a total different experience. There was no mangrove trees, crocodiles or monkeys but has many buildings with great historical significance.

Old historic shop houses which have been converted to restaurants, pubs and bars. 

The luxury Fullerton Hotel Singapore.

This sculpture, featuring the motion of five young boys, jumping into the river, naked is a reminder of the first immigrants to Singapore. Swimming in the river was a sport regularly practised by children in the old days.

The Merlion statue at the Merlion Park.

The Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay. It is Singapore's leading cultural entertainment and performing arts centre.

The spectacular Marina Bay Sands Resort.

 Just before sunset, we selected this Swiss restaurant "Marche" for our dinner. 

This is a self service restaurant. Diners have to "pick-up" the food and drink of their choice with an "Account card" provided by the restaurant.  

  

My choice was the twin Sausages set.

 "Oxtail stew" and Garlic bread were another choice. 

 The dinner was superb.

We moved to the Harbour after dinner. There was a big Sail boat, the Buque Escuela (BE) Esmeralda, a four-masted barquentine of the Chilean Navy, on a four-day visit to Singapore.

This 371-foot ship is the second-longest sailing ship in the world. It is a training ship carrying a crew of 350. The Band from the ship gave a performance near the dock.  

They played very good  music - I was delighted when they played one of my favourite "Bésame Mucho". We had a great day!

SINGAPORE - DAY1

Having heard so much about the Marina Bay Sands, we decided to visit the place to see for ourselves what it has to offer. 

It's a first for me to travel on MRT of Singapore. The station was almost empty from Tampines.

It was not crowded as it was the not peak.

Marina Bay Sands, the most spectacular hotel in Singapore, dominates the skyline. I was told that it has 2560 rooms and suites, a fleet of celebrity chef restaurants, shopping areas, a museum, two large theatres, two floating Crystal Pavilions, an ice skating rink and the world's largest luxury Casino with over 500 gaming tables and 1,600 slot machines.

We paid S$20 each to get to the Observation deck of the Sands "Skypark". The lift took about 40 seconds or so to reach the 56th floor. The view up there was just superb despite some haze.   

 A photo to remember this Skypark.

  

 The newly commissioned "Gardens By the Bay". 

The Port of Singapore in the back ground.

A stroll in the Sands' shopping areas - enjoying the air-con and some window shopping of branded goods. 

The Casino was huge and crowed. My wife made a little fortune playing the 1cent slot machine.   

Just outside the building, there was this bill board displaying " Pledge Ourselves as One United People"  

I like this one better - "Regardless Of Race, Language or Religion" reminding me of Borneo, my home.  

It was a good outing. and we ended up in the food court before getting back to Tampines. This was one of my favourite, a bowl of Singapore super beef noodles soup.